A tailstrike occurs when the tail of an aircraft touches the runway during takeoff or landing. It can occur with any type of aircraft, although tailstrikes occur more often with long aircraft, because tailstrike occurrence is directly related to pitch attitude versus aircraft geometry, and the status of main landing gear extension. About 25% of reported tailstrikes occur at takeoff and 65% at landing.
Tailstrikes at landing generally cause more damage than tailstrikes at takeoff because the tail may strike the runway before the main gear and cause damage to the aft pressure bulkhead. Unstabilized approaches due to deviations from normal approach and landing techniques are the most common causes of tailstrikes.